New Homes TO LET - Archipelagos Fauna
If you go for a wander in the woods past reception and Oak Lake and look to your right, you will see that our maintenance team have been busy putting up new homes for our wonderfully diverse feathered friends.
We have a variety of different boxes from wooden ones for blue tits and sparrows to hand woven nesting boxes for our wren and finch families.
There are a couple of insect hotels which are ideal for mason bees, butterflies, ladybugs, and other solitary insects that need a safe place to stay.
The Parks resident woodpeckers do not need any help you can spot their homes in various trees around the ancient woodland. If the woodpecker finds their home has not wintered well, they will build a new one but within the same area. The greater spotted woodpecker is a regular on the bird feeders at the back of reception.
If you have bird boxes in your garden remember to clean them out before the birds start looking for a new nest ideally this should have been done in September, October time by emptying out old nesting material and washing with boiling water to kill any parasites fleas and ticks that may remain. Do not use anything other than water as this may harm the birds. The best direction to place a nest box is between North and East as this will provide natural protection from full sunshine and sheltered from cold winds and rain. Boxes should ideally be placed at least 2m from the ground to keep the birds safe from predators such as cats and foxes and even badgers.
By Lindsay Stuart